Metal container for beverages



March 2, 1943. w. FQPUNTE METAL CONTAINER FOR BEVERAGES Filed Feb. 25, 1941 Patented Mar. 2, 1943 METAL CONTAINER FOR BEVERAGES Villiam F. Punte, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application February 25, 1941, Serial No. 380,556

1 Claim.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a metal container for beverages. An object of the invention is to provide a container which is as free from seams as pospoured therefrom.

same.

the nozzle, and

the nozzle.

less.

double-seaming.

closed. The closing metal for the end of the nozzle is integral with the nozzle, so that the body portion, the top, the nozzle, and the end portion closing the same are all one integral structure formed from a single piece of metal by drawing.

'The wall This pro- Inasmuch as sible, and which can be readily opened by rup- 5 turing the metal so that the contents can be Furthermore, it is noted that the body portion, the cone-shaped top, nozzle and closure end are A further object of the invention is to provide all free from any seams or joints which adapts th a metal container of the above type with a pourcontainer for beverages which are highly caring nozzle having the end thereof closed and the bonated, as there are no seams to open during the metal in the closed end so shaped as to provide building up of internal pressure when the cona thinned portion which may be readily ruptainer with the carbonated beverage sealed theretured for opening the container, and wherein the in is pasteurized. wall adjacent the thinned portion is so formed The nozzle 3 is preferably provided with a neck as to provide a rigid support for the thinned porportion 4. The end of the nozzle is flat and is tion so as to facilitate the rupturing of the provided with an annular depression 5.

6 surrounding the annular depression where it In the drawing which shows by way of illustrajoins the bottom wall 1 of the depression is fiattion one embodiment of the invention tened on the inside as indicated as 8.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through vides a pinch score such as shown and described the container embodying the improvements; in the patent to William F. Punte #2,120,186,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View through granted June '7, 1938.

This wall which surrounds the depression is Fig. 3 is a View showing the metal ruptured folded back on itself and the folds brought into and lifted for prying out the central portion of contact with each other as indicated at 9. This folding of the wall surrounding the depression is The improved metal container for beverages located immediately above the thinned portion includes a body portion and a top portion formed 3. The purpose of folding this Wall back upon of a single integral piece of metal by drawing. itself is to provide a rigid support for the thinned Said body and top portion are, therefore, seamportion so as to support the metal surrounding The top is preferably cone-shaped and terthe thinned portion when pressure is applied minates in a nozzle having the end thereof against the bottom of the annular depression 5 closed. The closed end of the nozzle is provided for the rupturing of the metal. with an annular depression surrounded by a wall this thinning of the metal is right at the line disposed substantially at right angles to the botwhere the surrounding wall joins the bottom of tom Wall of the depression, and the metal where the depression, internal pressure against the the surrounding wall joins the bottom wall is closed nozzle will place upon the thinned porthinned so as to facilitate rupturing. The metal tions a compression stress, while external presin the surrounding wall above the thinned porsure applied to the bottom wall of the deprestion is also folded back upon itself so as to prosion will place upon the thinned portion a tenvide a rigid support for the thinned portion sion stress. Inasmuch as the metal may be which permits pressure to be applied to the more readily ruptured by the tension stress than central portion of the nozzle for the rupturing the compression stress, the container is easily of the thinned portion without distorting the poropened and at the same time it will stand very tions of the nozzle which surround said annular high internal pressure incident to the pasteurizdepression. The body portion is filled and closed ing of the beverage sealed in the container. by a bottom end which is attached thereto by When the pressure is applied to the bottom wall of the depression, the metal will be ruptured Referring more in particular to the illustrated along the line of pressure, and an opening tool embodiment of the invention, the improved metal may be inserted through the opening thus formed container includes a body I and a top 2. The and the central portion of the nozzle raised and body and top are formed from a single integral pried out. This folding back of the wall as indipiece of metal by drawing. The body is cylincated at 9 forms a rigid support so that when drical and the top portion 2 is cone-shaped, terpressure is applied for the rupturing of the minating in a nozzle 3 having the end thereof metal, it will sustain the pressure without deforming and thus greatly facilitate in the rupturing of the metal. Furthermore, when the tool is forced down through the opening initially formed and the central portion of the nozzle raised by using the tool as a lever, this rigid folded back upper portion of the wall serves as a fulcrum for the continued rupturing of the metal and the complete opening of the container.

During this lifting movement for rupturing the container, a shearing stress is applied to the metal which tears it along the thinned portion, and during this tearing operation, the raw edge of metal which is left on the nozzle remains at.

the lower part of the folded back portion and is thus well concealed so that the operators hands during the opening of the container or the handling of the same cannot contact with the torn edge of the metal.

This specific shaping of the metal in the wall which is directly above the thinned portion per se is not claimed herein, but is the subject-matter of a separate application Serial No. 387,763, filed April 9, 1941.

As noted above, the container is particularly adapted for beverages and is intended after use to be thrown away. Such a container must be simple in construction so as to reduce the cost of the same, and yet it must be strong in order to prevent rupturing when the beverage is carbonated and subjected to a pasteurizing temperature after it is sealed in the container. This creates an internal pressure, which together with the heat of pasteurization is difficult to hold in a solder-bonded side seam such as usually employed in metal beverage containers. The heat of pasteurization is sufficiently high to weaken the solder bond, and the internal pressure cre-' ated, particularly when the beverage is carbonated, puts a very severe strain on the side seam. In applicants container, where there is no side seam, but on the contrary, the body, the top, the nozzle and the closure endtherefor, are all integral and drawn from a single piece of metal, all such difficulties as mentioned above in connection with seams is avoided.

Furthermore, for most beverages, it is essential that the container shall be coated with a non-metallic material so as to keep the beverage from contacting with the container. Applicants container can be readily sprayed on the interior thereof after it is formed and prior to the filling of the same, and inasmuch as there are no seams, the entire inner surface may be uniformly coated without any weakened spots in the coating which are likely to be ruptured and broken through during pasteurization of the contents of the container after sealing.

The container described above is, of course, inverted and filled, and is then closed by attaching the bottom end l0 thereto by a double seam ll of the usual character. The container described above is a two-piece container, and is a seamless container, except for the one seam H which secures the bottom end or closure end to the body wall of the container after it is filled.

It will be noted that the closed end of the nozzle is not only shaped so as to provide an annular depression but this annular depression is so disposed as to be surrounded by the pouring lip of the container. Furthermore the thinned portion which is ruptured is directly beneath the inner edge of the pouring lip so that when the ruptured part is removed the beverage may be poured over the lip and in contact therewith. Also the inner edge of this lip curves downwardly to form the depression and the ruptured metal is so far below the lip that there is no danger of ones being cut by the ruptured metal.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the shaping of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

A metal container for beverages comprising a seamless body and top formed from a single integral piece of metal, said top being coneshaped and terminating in a nozzle having the end thereof closed, said closed end of the nozzle being shaped to provide an annular depression surrounded by a pouring lip, the metal in the bottom of the depression being thinned directly beneath the inner edge of the lip to facilitate rupturing and the pouring of the beverage over said lip when the ruptured part is removedthe wall surrounding the annular depression above the thinned portion being folded back upon itself beneath the top and into contact therewith to provide a rigid support to facilitate the rupturing of the metal at the thinned portion, and a bottom end seamed to the body portion for closing the same after filling.

WILLIAM F. PUN I'E. 

